Capital Punishment
by Stahl
Summary: They were young, tough and relentless... and now they were united under a single wanderer, a group of talented misfits, rogues, killers and prodigies formed into one of the best mercenary companies in the Capital Wasteland.
1. Chapter 1

_Megaton_  
_2273  
_

"Hey you!" An ever-so-young Moria Brown exclaimed happily in her overly cheery voice as the mercenary walked through the door and into her store, Craterside Supply.

The mercenary who had just walked in wore a custom set of combat armor with a long duster that hung down to the 5'10, stocky and well-built one hundred and ninety pound man's kneecaps. The armor was painted red and reinforced with various pieces of both leather and metal armor. The new-in-town man, only known as Jinx, tipped his customized red combat helmet off of his head and laid it down on the counter in front of Moria. The helmet had several dents and a gaping hole in it from where he had almost caught a .308 bullet to the cranium from a sniper up north. "Patch the helmet. Fix the gun." He ordered simply. Jinx took a heavily damaged homemade, bolt action weapon out of the holster hanging from his back and set it down on the counter, next to the helmet that was already sitting on the counter.

Moria smiled. Well, she never stopped smiling in the first place but her smile seemed to widen. "Is that all?" She asked in one of those damn annoying voices that made Jinx want to just tear her skull from her spine and give it to her as a present.

"Yes." He responded in an almost animal-like growl. Moria Brown nodded and took Jinx's bundle over to her workbench. Next to said workbench stood her current store guard. Jinx watched like a hawk as she went on her way, hammering out the dents in his helmet first. He leaned against the counter, casually watching as she applied a scrap metal patch over the shrapnel hole in his helmet. She welded it on with her welding torch and then set it aside to let the patch cool. She also pulled out a prewar can of red paint.

She moved on to his rifle and masterfully removed the bolt of the homemade weapon. "What's the ammo?" She questioned Jinx cheerily as she began cleaning the barrel of the weapon, checking if it was clear first.

Jinx, loving his gun, answered in depth. "The barrel came from a twelve gauge shotgun that was too damaged to salvage. The trigger came from the very same shotgun. A lot of the other parts were put onto it by Flak and Shrapnel in Rivet City, like the action. The wire stock of the weapon once belonged to a Chinese Assault Rifle. AK47 I believe. The magazine was my work. Took three times until I finally made one that worked. Holds five shells. I have four magazines I made at some workbench out in the wastes, hell if I remember where. In all it took me six months to make. It was worth every second of it. I've made three rifles in my time, all of them similar to this one but all different in their own ways. This one fires shotgun shells while the other two were thirty two caliber." The mercenary explained in great detail as Moria worked on the frame of the rifle.

She whistled as she worked, listening to every word Jinx said. She started painting over the patched piece of his helmet. "That's quite impressive. A homemade shotgun like this could fetch you quite a price!" Moria stated before finishing with the rifle a putting the bolt back into place. "You take good care of that. Oh, and I've got a box of shells I just can't get rid of. Could you take them off my hands for me? I'll trade them for that belt of yours." She said, pointing to his leather belt.

Jinx stared down at his leather belt that held his holster which, in turn, held his thirty two caliber revolver. He sighed as he took the belt off, tore the holster off, and placed the leather down on the counter in front of Moria. He tucked the holster into his duster and called it good. Moria smiled as she placed a box of thirteen shotgun shells down on the counter. Jinx counted the shells before setting a small Brahmin hide bag down on the counter, seeing himself off, his still drying helmet in hands.

He pushed the door open and squinted as the light from the wasteland sun hit his eyes. Jinx reached into his duster pocket and pulled out his pair of cracked and grime covered aviators. The soldier of fortune put them on while slinging his shotgun back into its holster on his back. He then poured the box of shotgun shells into the bag that hung across his chest and down by his right thigh. He emptied the box and threw it on the ground, not much caring about littering in this post-apocalyptic fucked up world. Jinx turned right and slowly started heading towards Moriarty's Saloon, knowing it would be a good place to recruit a couple hard asses for his soon to be merc group.

The twenty three year old man had been planning on starting up this group since he was only sixteen. Only back then he had been some youthful dumbass. Now he had a plan. Hire a small group, head north, pick up talent along the way. Plain and simple. He wanted to establish himself in Philadelphia, his hometown. He knew for a fact that there was thousands of caps to be milked out of there and barely any other mercenaries to contend with. Easy money if you asked Jinx.

He pushed the door of the saloon open and entered. It was a paradise through Jinx's eyes. A dozen patrons sat or stood, smoking cigarettes and taking swigs from dusty beer bottles. The dim lighting played havoc on everyone's faces, and the smoke only added to the hazy feel of the bar. A ghoul bartender polished glasses behind the counter. A redheaded floozy was chatting up some scavenger by the staircase. A man in a business suit was playing a board game with a petite blonde. An old pre-war ditty was playing on the radio. It was upbeat and featured a scratchy violin, while a man wailed about getting into the pants of his sweetheart. In one corner a pair of older wastelanders were dancing to the tune, while in another a group, wastelanders chatted amongst themselves, staring as the new-in-town Jinx walked into the dim lit building.

Jinx walked straight towards the Ghoul bartender and ordered a beer while removing his helmet from his head and placing it down on the counter. The drink came in a dusty prewar bottle. He cracked the cap off, threw it aside, and downed half of the beer immediately. Jinx hadn't intended to put it down but when a slap to the back of his head arrived, he calmly placed the beer down on the counter and turned around. "What the fuck do you want friend?" He questioned the taller than him waster standing in front of him.

"I don't think you understand friend." The man hiccuped, obviously drunk than hell. "I don't like you." He stated, sending his friends up into a drunk chuckling, except one who stood with his arms crossed as he watched.

Jinx sighed before grabbing the man's arm, slamming it onto the counter, and grasping his spiked up in every direction jet black hair. He pulled his revolver and pointed it at one of the wasters who attempted to approach. The other backed off and Jinx leaned in towards the pinned man's ear. "I don't think you understand. If you don't leave me the fuck alone, I will pull off your balls and shove them down your throat." He threatened simply before letting the man go. Jinx turned and sat down on the stool in front of his beer.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and snapped. Jinx pulled a combat knife from his boot and lunged at the larger man, knocking the drunk to the ground. The mercenary pinned the man's arm to the ground and shoved his knife into the waster's hand, pinning him to the floor. The man screamed. Jinx then moved to the others who were attempting to draw their various weapons. He made short work of them, kicking them all to the ground. All except the one who had kept his arms crossed the whole time.

Jinx pointed his thirty two revolver at the colossus of a man. "How much does he pay you?" He questioned. It was obvious that they were mercenaries. Crappy ones at that, but mercenaries none-the-less.

"Not enough." The 6'4 man grunted simply. He wore Brahmin leather pants, had a pair of black, shin-high combat boots, wore a faded black square cap alongside a worn bulletproof vest over a black long sleeve shirt covered in holes. He also had a leather rucksack hanging off of his shoulders and a red checkered head-wrap over his shaggy blonde hair.

Jinx smirked and lowered his revolver. "How about you and me talk about making some real caps?" He questioned while holstering his pistol.

The man eyed Jinx as he milled the proposition over in his head. He finally nodded. "We can do business." He stated, offering his hand. "They call me Ratchet." Ratchet introduced himself to Jinx who offered his own hand. They shook hands before leaving the bar to speak.

"My name's Erik Steele. Call me Jinx."


	2. Chapter 2

"Tell me Ratchet, what exactly are your amazing skills?" Jinx questioned as the two walked down a scrap metal ramp, heading towards the makeshift diner down near the bomb.

Ratchet smirked and shoved his hands into his pockets. "That last group hired me as a brawler. What can I really do? You got a broken weapon, I fix it. You got a mine blocking your path, I turn it off. I've also been known to dabble in first aid, only when required though. I can shoot, of course." He listed off his skills set to the younger Jinx. The man who stood at 6'4 was thirty five years old and had been a mercenary since the age of fifteen. "I got some past that isn't exactly the best but everyone does. Earn my trust and you might just hear 'bout it but for now it's past." Ratchet explained simply as the two walked along.

Jinx nodded. "Same here. Anything else I should know?" He questioned as he opened the door to The Brass Lantern and held it for the heavier set Ratchet.

Ratchet entered and took a seat on a barstool. "I'm a mean cook." He chuckled.

The twenty three year old smiled. "Alright. Pay won't be much at first. You'll get a cut of everything, of course, but you'll definitely make more money with me and my own than you did with those fuckwits back at the saloon." Jinx stated with an air of confidence.

"Yeah that's another thing, how many people we got in this little group, Jinx?" Ratchet asked his new boss.

"Two." Jinx smirked.

Ratchet chuckled and turned to the man behind the bar. "Two beers, two shots of the best you got, and two kebabs. Iguana and Mole Rat preferably." The older man ordered.

The man nodded and went off to get their meal. Jinx smiled as he offered his hand to the heavyset brawler. "So do I have my first recruit?" He asked.

Ratchet smiled and nodded. "I 'spose so. Just a word of warning though, I am not keen on working alone. It'd be best if we hired on a couple more hands before we left this rusty town." The new recruit advised.

Jinx nodded and was about to dig into his kebab when a barfight between two men in the corner erupted. The man behind the bar looked at an armored man who stood by the door and pointed. The stocky, armored man nodded and walked over to the two. The bouncer picked both of them up and carried them out like they were nothing. He then went over to the man behind the bar and, from what Jinx could overhear, argued about pay. It ended in the bouncer storming out of the bar, obviously unhappy.

Jinx thought to himself a moment before nodding to Ratchet. "Don't eat my food." He ordered before leaving the bar in a brisk jog. Jinx exited and questioned the lady in the jumpsuit outside as to where the bouncer went. She pointed her thumb backwards towards Megaton's entrance and exit. He ran off, intent on catching the man. "Hey!" He shouted, gaining the bouncers attention.

"What the fuck do you want?" The man questioned in a shout with a hint of an accent. Possibly British.

Jinx smiled. "I need a crew. You're tough. You'll get paid." He offered simply.

The bouncer chuckled. "Do I get to fuck wankers up?" He asked in response.

Jinx nodded before digging into his bag and pulling out a pair of spiked brass knuckles. "I'll even throw in these." The mercenary said with a small grin, tossing over the knuckles to the bouncer.

"Alright. Can do. Name's Lee. Just Lee."

"No last name?"

"Lee is my last name. I'm Just Lee. It's a fuckin' weird name but who bloody cares?" Lee explained.

Jinx nodded. "I understand. Welcome aboard by the way. If you've got anything you need, I'll still be in town for a bit. Meet back here in half-an-hour. In the mean time, try not to get shot. You work for me and I don't want you dying." He stated before about facing and walking back into Megaton. On the way in, he pushed over the Protectron that stood at the door. It was a damned annoying machine and Jinx needed some quiet time to think about some things.

He walked back to The Brass Lantern and ate his meal in silence while Ratchet yapped away about past experiences. War stories, so to speak. Jinx spent ten minutes listening after he had finished his iguana and was slowly working on his second beer of the day.

"Thirteen years ago, during my stint in Delaware, me and this group of guys I was running with, nastiest bunch of inconsiderate fucktards I ever met, came across this nest of deathclaws. There were five of us armed with hunting rifles and bayonets. I figured we were gonna leave but the crazy fucker in charge, Castle she went by, decided to take 'em out. I called her crazy and reloaded my rifle. We charged in there, screaming and all, firing our shots off. The deathclaws took three of us five. We took down thirteen of them before I dragged Castle out. She had taken a swipe to her ugly ass face and was missing an eye. I dragged him to the nearest settlement. Two nights later we drank and laughed about it before we parted ways." Ratchet stated, leaving Jinx smirking.

He was smirking because he thought he made it up. Ratchet then pulled out a tear of hide and a long claw from the rucksack on his back. "I sold the rest of the hide and the other claws. Made some good money too." He explained with a smile.

Jinx stared on, very serious like. He had hired a genuine hardass. Not that he minded. "I'm going out to pick up some smokes from Moria." The mercenary leader said, taking his beer and patting Ratchet on the shoulder. "Meet outside in a half hour. You'll meet the bouncer I just picked up." He explained before exiting the diner-like bar. Jinx walked up the scrap metal ramp towards Cratersider Supply when all of a sudden the door flew open and Moria's mercenary guard tossed some girl out of there.

"Screw you!" She shouted in southern accented English at the mercenary who was now walking back into Moria's.

She caught Jinx's eye. "Hey." He said, walking up to the girl lying on the ground and offered his hand.

"The hell you want?" She questioned, ignoring his hand. She was short, 5'5, maybe a hundred and thirty pounds. She wore a button up blue checkered shirt that was ripped off near her midsection. She had a pair of metal shoulder-pads with sharp spikes protruding three or four inches. Under her button up wore a stained white shirt on. Jinx could see a metal plate covering her stomach under her white shirt. She wore a pair of baggy black jeans that were torn off at her shins. Around her waist was a leather belt that held two holsters for a set of 10mm pistols and several magazines of ammo to compliment them. To compliment her shoulder pads she had a pair of metal knee-pads covering her knees. She had black combat boots that reached just below where her pants were ripped. On her head, she wore a grey cap that had two rifles crossing on it, some way-back-when relic.

He could've sworn that he saw a lever on the rifle that sat in a holster on her back. Jinx smirked. "How would you like to make some real caps?" He questioned with a raised brow.

Her mouth stayed neutral and she furrowed her brows in an almost partial interest. "I'm no whore. If it's something else you're speakin' about, though, I'm listenin'." She stated with her arms crossed across her chest.

Jinx smiled. "I'm starting up a merc group and you definitely fit the bill. The only thing that could get you kicked outta Moria's is thieving or killing. And since you haven't been lynched by these fine town folk I'm assuming you're a pickpocket." He sized her up pretty well and even she was impressed.

"You gained my interest, mister." She said uncrossing her arms and offering her hand.

Jinx shook it with his own glove covered hand and began talking. "I'm just starting out and I've already got two others. An ex-bouncer and a handy-dandy do everything man who I'll probably put in some sorta repairing job. What I don't have is a locksmith or a pickpocket. I'm assuming you can do both." He explained simply.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I been known to dabble a bit. Name's Victoria Price. Call me Vic." Vic introduced herself to Jinx.

"My name is Steele. Just call me Jinx. Everyone else does."

Vic chuckled. "Man called Jinx runnin' a merc group, huh?" She questioned rhetorically, irony seething from her tongue. Jinx could tell that she was going to be a nice little addition to his group.

Jinx chuckled in response. "I know, I know. It's ironic. I've gotta pick up smokes and sell off a couple things to Moria. Gather up what you need. We leave in twenty minutes." He explained with a short nod before walking into the store.

Moria was smiling as to be expected. He sighed and laid his bag down on the counter. "I need a carton of smokes. And I've got some things you might be interested in." Jinx explained, pulling two very heavy electronic scrap piles out of his bag. He pulled out two fission batteries and a pilot light.

She smiled. "I can give you fifty caps each for the batteries and ten for the pilot light. The carton of smokes will be twenty so that brings out your total to ninety caps." Moria stated, pulling out her cap bag to count out the money.

Jinx stopped her. "I've got something else here." He smiled menacingly as he pulled the next thing out.

She stepped back, the smile never leaving her face but worry entering. "Now what would I do with that?" She questioned, pointing at the device that Jinx cradled like a newborn.

He shrugged. "Dig a well." Jinx laid the mini nuke down on the counter carefully and stepped back, crossing his arms. "I expect no less than a hundred and fifty." He bartered.

Moria nodded softly. "Hundred and twenty five and I'll throw in some more of those nasty tobacco sticks. Then we can call it even. I'll even throw in five rounds for that revolver you've got. Thirty two caliber." She exclaimed happily.

Jinx nodded. "Fair 'nuff." He said simply. he had just made two hundred and fifteen caps, gotten a carton plus a pack of cigarettes and five extra shots for his snub nosed revolver. Good trade if you asked him. After he had received both his caps and his items, he packed them away into his rucksack and left the store. Jinx then headed towards the exit. It was time for them to leave, move on to another settlement. He didn't quite care where, he just wanted to leave the city with an armed nuclear bomb in the middle of it.

He waited for the doors to open and stepped outside into the unforgiving wasteland. It was dusk and the sun was setting over the nuclear wasteland. The best and worst time to travel was at dark, but he was confident with his new additions that they'd make it to the next town. He just needed to figure out where the next town would be.

Jinx was early and only Lee hanged around outside of Megaton where they were supposed to meet. The bouncer was sharpening his knife on a handheld grindstone. A caravan was sitting around a pack Brahmin, smoking a cigarette. There were only two of them. The driver and a severely under-armed young man who couldn't be over seventeen held only a simple .22 caliber rifle. Jinx saw his opportunity. "Excuse me." He stated, gaining the driver's attention.

"Would you like to make purchase?" He questioned cheerily.

Jinx shook his head. "Nothing like that. In fact, I'd like to offer you something. No offense to you and your guard but in a fight you wouldn't last a minute. If you ran you'd lose your wares and dignity. So let me make you an offer." He paused and looked at the driver, who seemed to be listening in interest. "Me and my three companions will guide you your next destination, however far it may be, for a mere four hundred caps." Lee stood up from where he was slouching and put his knife and grindstone away to join Jinx.

The driver stroked his handlebar mustache, considering the offer. He looked over to the guard he had right now and made his decision. "You get me and my son to the Republic of Dave and I'll give you a hundred caps now and four hundred more caps and two stimpaks from my first aid kit when we get there." He offered in return.

Considering the man had offered more than Jinx had asked for plus stimpaks he offered his hand in agreement. "Once the last two get here, we'll be ready to set off whenever you do, sir." Jinx stated, suddenly turning very official like.

The driver nodded, pleased with the deal he had made. The boy stayed silent. Jinx leaned in closer. "Is something wrong with your son?" He questioned simply, not meaning to offend.

"He's mute." He explained, motioning for the boy to lift his head. He did and it revealed a set of nasty scars covering his neck. "When he was five, I was out on a three day run. He was with his mother and uncle. Talon Company came and raided. They... they raped my wife, killed my uncle, tried to kill my son. He survived, barely. When I got back the town was burnt to the ground and my boy was laying on his mother in a pile of bodies. The caravan I was with had a doctor and he fixed Alex up best he could. Alex hasn't spoken since. I'm pretty sure he can but... after something like that I don't blame him. I love him none-the-less. He gets by pretty well with his hands and grunts." The caravan driver explained quietly.

Jinx frowned. He hated Talon Company. Bastards were no better than raiders in his eyes. "I'm sorry for your loss." Jinx stated in condolence. Before he said anything else, Vic and Ratchet walked out at nearly the same time. They stared over at one another and realized they were going to the same place. Jinx. "We got a job." He reported to the two who nodded in response. "Meet and greet time. Ratchet, this is Victoria. Pickpocket and locksmith. Victoria, Ratchet. Handyman. And finally, the other big guy is Lee. He likes to fuck shit up. Now that that's out of the way..." He paused and turned to the driver and his son. "When would you like to leave?" He asked.

"Now would be best. Dark is the safest time to travel up north. We'll stop at Canterbury Commons and catch some sleep there." The driver explained. "I don't expect this to be more than a two day trip." He stood up and helped his son Alex, who wore a simple set of leather armor, up to his feet.

Jinx nodded. "Alright. Let's move it out."


	3. Chapter 3

By the time the sun was rising at about five in the morning, Jinx, Ratchet, Lee, Vic, and the two caravan drivers had made it to Canterbury Commons. The driver, who Jinx learned was named Henry, turned to face the four mercenaries. "We have arrived. I'm pretty sure Joe has the diner open. Go grab a bite to eat and tell him to put it on Henry. I'll talk to tha bastard Roe." The driver stated, dismissing the four. Him and Alex walked off towards a building that appeared to once have been a fire station.

Jinx gathered around his mercs. "Alright. I know what he said but I'm not confident with this town. Ratchet, Lee, you two set up a watch around the outside of town. Watch for raiders or anything that could kill us and this fucking junk town." Jinx ordered simply. "Vic, you're the most nimble and you're the only one with a rifle so find a place with a view. You three see shit fire first, holler second. I'm gonna go talk to Henry and Roe. I'll bring back something for you guys to munch on." He stated.

Ratchet nodded and moved to set up a watch while Lee trailed behind. "Why do we gotta set up this fucking watch?" The British brawler questioned with a furrow of his eyebrows.

"Because you agreed to it when you signed on with me. Now shut the fuck up and go on a stroll with Ratchet. Doubtful anything'll attack this dump anyways. And take these. Share." Jinx ordered, tossing the large man a pack of cigarettes. Lee grunted, caught the cigarettes and jogged to catch up with Ratchet.

Vic smirked. "Ya' know he'll be fun to deal with. Any man who'll argue 'bout keepin' 'imself safe is one to cause some fun trouble." She explained simply while she pulled her lever rifle off of her back. It was old but definitely a replica from prewar times. and it chambered .44 magnum rounds. Vic was good with it though. She demonstrated that when she had seen a bloatfly before everyone else and shot its wings off. Made a good dinner when combined with the few Nuka-colas that Henry had stashed away in his pack Brahmin.

Jinx nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure he'll be a real handful. He knows his job, though. Just make sure you know yours." He stated, running a hand through his shaggy, dirty-blonde hair. The mercenary usually kept it concealed under his maroon combat helmet and the black gasmask that currently hung around his neck by a thin leather strap.

Vic nodded and jogged off to find a good place to snipe from. As she did, Jinx started walking towards the fire station where Henry had gone off to after he had told them to go over to the diner. He pushed the rusty door open and slid in through the crack that the rusty hinges allowed. The mercenary leader walked into the dusty building and coughed a bit, feeling like he needed his gasmask just to hang about this place. He heard voices upstairs and made his way up the creaky wooden stairs. He turned to his right and opened the broken door.

Henry and Roe sat on a footlocker, passing back-and-forth an unlabeled bottle of alcohol. "Roe, this is the hire I was telling you about. Well one of them anyway. His name is Jinx. He's the leader of the four." Henry explained to his friend.

The balding man referred to as Uncle Roe smirked when he heard Jinx's name. "A merc leader with the name Jinx?" He questioned.

Jinx sighed and nodded his head. "Won't be the first one to make that joke." He stated, crossing his arms. "This place isn't as safe as you think." The mercenary explained to Roe who simply nodded.

"We have Dom who patrols out there. He protects us." He stated.

Jinx chuckled. "One guy, huh? Let's say a group of ten raiders rolls into town. What are you gonna do?" He questioned.

Henry intervened. "Hell, Roe's sister is one of the best shots this side of the Mississippi, not to mention they've got five other people living here." He stated confidently.

Roe frowned and hung his head. "Henry I know you were up in New York only for this past few months but thing's have happened. Daisy is dead. So are the other five. There's only a handful of us left, dead from a raider attack two months ago. Scott's still hangs around at that damn store." The man explained grimly.

"Ah fuck Roe... That leaves, what, six of you?" Henry questioned.

Uncle Roe nodded in response. "Five. Me, little Derek, Dom, Joe, and Scott, like I said. No one else made it. Well, Ryan, that crazy kid that used the prewar machine gun, the big one with the box ammo. Called it Pig. He made it through the raid but limped off afterwards, muttering about safety. It's been hell but we're making the best of it." He explained with his arms crossed.

"Look, it's a real sad story Roe but as I said this town ain't safe. Henry we need to talk about hazard pay. If this town gets attacked while we're in it I expect an extra fifty caps per person. Two hundred more caps. Deal?" Jinx stated simply. If the driver didn't agree, he'd just leave him and his kid to die.

Henry shrugged his shoulders. "I doubt this place would get attacked, so yeah sure. If it happens and you save my ass you get those two hundred caps. If I die take all my caps and get my kid to somewhere safe, will you?"

Jinx nodded. "You get offed under my protection, I'll take your kid in like he was my own." He stated in response.

The driver nodded. "Fair enough." He said.

Roe stood, watching the two talk. "How far are you going Henry?" He asked.

"Republic of Dave. Got some stuff they'll probably need. Batteries, some fuel, ammo, you know the usual. That's when me and yours truly." Henry paused and pointed to Jinx who stood in the doorway with his arms crossed. "Cross ways." He finished

Jinx nodded yet again while Roe leaned back against a bed frame. "Well I-"

Roe was interrupted by the sound of the downstairs opening and slamming shut, followed closely by the sound of footsteps sprinting upstairs. Vic pushed by Jinx and panted before reporting to the three of them. "We got twenty raiders comin' in. Lee and big guy set up at the only two places they can get in. That guard guy is with Lee at the other entrance." She reported.

Jinx nodded and pulled the bolt action shotgun off of his back. "Henry, grab Alex and go to the diner. Stay there. Roe, you stay in here and shoot any asshole who tries to get in. You got a kid to think about, don't do nothing stupid. Vic, go set up and be our sniper. Go now. Everyone do exactly as I say." He ordered as he pulled the bolt back and chambered the first of his five shells in his clip.

Vic nodded and ran outside, followed closely by Henry who went to grab Alex. Jinx left next as Roe crouched behind and bed with his rifle aimed towards the doorway. Jinx pulled the door open and stepped outside onto the street of Canterbury Commons. He immediately dived to the ground as a stray shot went right over his head. The raiders were here to play. Jinx scrambled to his feet and ran towards where Ratchet stood, firing a dead raider's assault rifle into a group of raiders.

Jinx stood by him and fired the first shot of his shotgun into the closest raider, bringing him down with a loud thump. He pulled the bolt back and chambered the next shot, firing it into a raider who was charging with a sword of some kind in hand. Jinx brought the wire stock of the weapon down on a raider who had gotten past Ratchet and Jinx's combined fire.

The raider was thrown to the ground and finished off by another hit from the butt of his shotgun which bashed his school in, leaving the female raider bleeding on the sidewalk.

"There's too many!" Ratchet shouted, firing two rounds from his Colt .45 into a raider who had charged him with a sledgehammer.

Jinx pulled out his revolver, placing his shotgun back into its holster for the time being. He aimed the .32 caliber snub nose at the closest raider and fired, hitting him in the head and bringing him down instantly. Jinx fired two more shots into the chest of a raider who had sneaked up around their right flank trying to get by. He pulled out his knife and thrust it into the stomach of a raider with a submachine gun. They were trying to capture, not kill. They couldn't be raiders. He grabbed the dropped 10mm submachine gun and fired away, taking down five with one clip.

They seemed to be dying down but they weren't relenting. They were trying to regroup. "Get back to the diner." Jinx ordered Ratchet, running and gunning in reverse. He fired both his revolver and submachine gun until they were both out. The two mercenaries dived into the diner, just as a burst from an assault rifle flew through the space they had occupied seconds ago.

Joe Porter plus Alex and Henry almost shot them but pulled back once they saw who they were. "Jinx, what the fuck do we do?" Henry questioned, holding an AK47 in his hands.

Jinx looked around, trying to find a way to get them out of the situation they were currently in. Gunshots hit the sides of the diner, not quite piercing the walls yet. It didn't look like they were trying to get into the fire station yet. "Fuck it." He said before pulling a frag grenade he had had concealed within his duster. Both Ratchet and Henry moved to protest but Jinx already had the pin pulled. He threw it out the diner window and waited. The explosion hit and all he could hear was a high pitched ringing. Jinx stood up, eyes wide open.

Several raiders ran up to the window and pulled up their rifles, yelling something that he couldn't hear. They were about to fire when two bullets impacted them, taking both of them out in seconds. Jinx shook his head as his hearing came back to him. He walked out of the diner and stared at the death the grenade caused. Several limbs lied around the street and several raiders were trying to crawl away. Jinx stepped forward and realized he had been shot in the leg. Nothing too bad. He grimaced and limped out onto the street while reloading his revolver.

Jinx walked up to the closest raider who was trying to crawl away. She was missing a leg but was probably too high to feel it anyway. She was struggling a lot. Not that it much mattered. He limped to her and shot her once, twice with his revolver. "Always double tap." He muttered aloud as the four others watched, too dazed to say anything.

Jinx went along, executing the survivors, until there was no one remaining. "Ratchet, go check on Lee. Gather everyone up here." He ordered the burly repair man, who nodded in response and jogged off.

Henry stepped out and clapped his hands together. "Well done Mr. Jinx. Hazard pay well ear-" A gunshot rang out and Henry fell to the ground, body limp. Jinx turned, faster than the raider, and fired his last .32 caliber shot at the grime covered man. He got lucky and the shot hit the raider right smack in the forehead, taking murderer down. Jinx ran towards Henry's body and flipped the caravan driver over. There was a bleeding hole on the right side of the older man's head. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Jinx shouted.

Ratchet ran back and saw what Jinx had been cursing about. "Ah, shit..."

Alex sank to his knees by next to the body and stared into the still open hazel eyes of the man he had called his father. A single tear ran down the teenager's face before he stood up and walked back into the diner. Jinx ran a hand through his hair, realizing he had lost his helmet somewhere during the recent firefight. "What the hell do we do now boss?" Ratchet questioned.

"He told me take his caps and take his kid in. That's what I'm going to do. We'll stay here for a couple of hours and figure it out. Go gather up the others, like I said." Jinx ordered again in a whisper. "Alex, c'mere." He said, loud enough so the mute could hear him from however far apart they were.

Henry's boy stood up and walked over, head hanging low. Jinx picked up the AK47 and thrust into the boy's hands. He then searched Henry for extra clips, finding two full ones in the man's jacket pocket. "Take these. Get rid of that good-for-nothing peashooter. Your father said if anything happened to him I take you in and that's what I'm going to do." He explained while Alex watched him loot his father's body. Jinx pulled out a bag of caps and shook it. Didn't feel like enough for a caravan driver.

Alex leaned down and opened a bag that was hanging from Henry's belt. Caps spilled out of it and Alex stood up again. "Thanks." Jinx muttered as he scooped the caps up off the ground.

Lee, Vic, and Ratchet all ran up to him, followed closely by Dominic. "Fuck." Lee stated simply.

Vic simply sighed while Ratchet nodded his head.

"What the hell are you doing?" Roe questioned, standing in the doorway of the fire station with his hunting rifle cradled in his arms.

"Looting." Jinx answered solemnly. "Ratchet, you and Vic start getting anything useful off these bodies. Lee do the same at the other entrance. You want any of this stuff Roe, take it for yourself. We'll burn these bodies and be on our way soon." He explained, taking anything useful off of Henry's body. "We won't be burning Henry though. We'll bury him." He stated, limping towards the raider that had shot Henry. Jinx knelt with a painful grimace and pulled a bloody magazine of 10mm ammo out of the pocket.

**_Two hours later_**

Jinx pulled the final shovelful of dirt out of the shallow hole that they were going to bury Henry in. He grabbed Ratchet's hand and stepped up out of the shallow grave. All of the the mercenaries and town residents were gathered around. Alex stood by Jinx. The British-born brawler Lee carried Henry's body over his shoulder and laid him into the grave. "A great merchant." Alex muttered, causing all of them but Jinx to stare in shock and disbelief. Jinx simply nodded. Somehow he knew the mute would say something during the funeral. He sighed and shoveled the dirt onto the body while everyone remained silent and paid their respect.

When he was down he embedded the shovel into the dirt and walked off, heading back into town. Slowly, everyone followed, starting with Alex and Roe. Jinx headed straight for the diner and sat down on a stool, awaiting Joe Porter's arrival. The dark skinned man walked into his restaurant and stood behind the counter, ready to take the mercenary's ordered. "Just give me food." Jinx stated, cracking his neck.

Joe nodded and reached down under the counter, handing over an apple and iguana bits. "Got the apple from a Rivet City caravan a few days back. Should still be good." He explained before turning around and heading to his fridge.

The rest of Jinx's crew joined him on the stools beside him. "What's the plan?" Ratchet questioned again.

Jinx shrugged. "Give me a fucking map." He ordered, waiting for it to be placed before him. Vic ended up being the person to have one. She laid it out in front of him and sat back down in her seat. Jinx stared for one minute, two minutes. It was an old map torn out of an atlas. It had Washington DC and several different map markers surrounding the city on it.

Lee sighed and walked up to the map with a pencil. "For fuck's sake." He circled a spot in the northeast part. "This is Canterbury dumbass. I suggest we go south to here." He circled a spot only several grid squares down.

"Where is that?" Jinx questioned.

Lee smiled, obviously proud of himself. "Vault 108."


	4. Chapter 4

"Vault 108, huh? Why should we try and get into a vault? I thought they were impossible to get into without tons of explosives?" Jinx questioned as Lee cleaned drying blood from his spiked knuckles.

He shrugged. "I don't know about that but I know that this one is wide open. I went in there once. Snooped a bit. There's these fucking clones in there though. They just keep shouting; "Gaaaary" and shit. Creepy as fuck. But the vault's intact structure-wise. Just needs to be cleared, cleaned and we'll need to get power but it's got potential. And a thick door." Lee explained simply.

Jinx furrowed his brows in thought as he took another quick scan of the map. "Alright. Vault 108 it is. But right now we need supplies and people. I say we stay in Canterbury for the next few days and try to pick up a couple more people. I need two specialists so to speak. A doc and a mechanic. Ratchet I know you're good with repairs but you're probably better at repairing weapons and being a regular foot soldier anyhow." He looked up from the map and saw Roe walk in with a small boy, maybe four years old. "Roe. What's the next caravan going to be?" He questioned.

Roe thought for a second before responding. "A weapon caravan headed by a man named Westin should be in by nightfall. Tomorrow the miscellaneous and medical caravans should get here soon after Westin and his men leave." He stated while boosting the child up into one of the booths.

"Thanks. So we buy supplies and try to grab a couple more guys for merc work." Jinx paused and turned to Roe again. "Roe, you owe me right? For saving your town, I mean." He questioned the so called mayor of the town.

Uncle Roe shrugged his shoulders before nodding hesitantly. "I suppose I do. Why do you ask?"

Jinx, satisfied that he'd get what he'd ask for, nodded towards the older man. "Then I'll need two things from you. A pack Brahmin and another favor to repay me in the future. Could be a week from now, could be a year but when I come calling you pay up. Agreed?" The mercenary leader asked.

"Fair enough. I can give you a Brahmin and a pack. Then that favor for later. Nothing to streneous though. I can get stuff like Brahmins and supplies but there's stuff even I can't get."

Jinx nodded and ran a hand through his hair. "Good enough for me. I won't need that Brahmin ready until Westin gets in tonight." He explained before turning back to his comrades. "Here's the deal... Lee, Victoria, you're gonna go ahead to the vault. You two slept when we made camp last night with Henry and Alex so you get this job. Kill anything that moves, clear out the bodies and then wait for me, Ratchet, and the kid to get there." Jinx ordered with his arms crossed across his chest.

"I'm no fucking kid." Alex muttered, unheard by most of the group.

"In my book you are. You two get going." Jinx ordered Lee and Vic.

Lee and Vic both nodded. "Right-o." Lee answered while standing up from his chair. "Lets go girlie." He stated, motioning his hand forward. Vic walked by shaking her head.

"Don't close the door dumbass!" Ratchet said to Lee who, in turn, gave him the finger. Ratchet muttered something in a language Jinx didn't understand, nor care to understand.

"I kept you two in tow cause I need your help with the heavy lifting. I plan on buying as much shit as physically possible. For now though, we'll rest." Jinx explained. Ratchet nodded and yawned just as he mentioned the word rest. Alex stayed still, AK47 still held firmly in his grasp, as if he was waiting for the raiders to return. Jinx himself wouldn't be surprised if they did.

Dominic had overheard most if not all of their conversation. "I've got a few beds in my garage. Go ahead and rest in there. I'll stay on watch for awhile and come wake you up whenever the caravan rolls into town." He stated.

Jinx, Alex and Ratchet all smiled and stood up. "Thanks." Alex muttered while leaving the diner. That made three times he had spoken since the mercenaries had met him. Jinx smiled again and yawned while walking to the garage. It'd be a miracle if he got any sleep at all but the prospect of resting in a bed period sounded delightful. He opened the door to the garage and let Alex and Ratchet in before entering himself, shutting the entrance tight behind him. Jinx surveyed the small garage. It was homey enough. No real lighting to speak of. Small and the beds were on the floor. It was better than a lot of places that Jinx had slept in before. "You two get some sleep. I have a feeling I'll be up for awhile more." He stated, pulling his shotgun from his back. He pulled a seat over by the door and sat down, facing the door with his shotgun strewn across his lap.

Ratchet sighed while Alex simply laid down on one of the creaky beds. "You'll regret sleep deprivation when you pass out." Ratchet stated simply while lying down on the mattress.

Jinx simply shrugged. "I'll sleep when I'm dead." He said, but it fell on deaf ears. Both Alex and Ratchet were asleep almost as soon as their heads hit the flat pillows on the equally flat and creaky spring beds. He chuckled to himself and leaned back against the back of his chair, waiting.

_Nine hours later  
Four o'clock in the afternoon  
October 10th, 2273_

Jinx sat, head leaning against his shoulder, shotgun on the floor, snoozing away when Dominic walked through the door and startled him, causing the mercenary to lunge from where he sat, pinning the town guard against the wall of his own home. Jinx had a knife against the man's throat before letting him go. "Sorry 'bout that." He muttered tiredly, rubbing his eyes and putting away his knife.

Dominic nodded. "Yeah, no problem. Just try and not kill me." He stated simply. "Caravan's here. Westin and his weapons." The older man reported, walking over to his table and turning the coffee pot on.

Jinx nodded and looked over his shoulder at his two companions, snoring away. Alex was muttering in his sleep while Ratchet just snored and drooled. Jinx walked over and kicked both of them gentle yet hard enough to stir them from their rest. "Get up. Caravan's here." He stated before turning back to Dominic. "Thanks for the beds." He said, nodding his head politely.

"Don't mention it."

"Alright lets go." Ratchet stated drowsily, dragging an extremely tired Alex along by the arm, following Jinx out of the garage. Alex just muttered and sloppily picked up his feet, stomping along after the two mercenaries.

Jinx marched by the diner, peaking his head in through the doorway. "Do me a favor Joe, three colas or three cups of coffee, either one would be great." He asked the dark-skinned man.

Joe nodded. "I'll see what I can scrounge up. Free of charge for saving my sorry hide." He stated before crouching down and searching under his diner's counter.

Jinx smiled and continued walking, leading the other two towards the two pack Brahmins he saw out by the front of town. There was a man, presumably Westin, who wore a black leather coat with a top-hat on the top of his head, followed closely by two caravan guards. His coat had all sorts of knickknacks hanging off of it and he jingled when he walked. He started to talk but Jinx cut him off with a wave of his hand. "I know what you sell and I know what I need." He said simply.

The heavyset man chuckled. "Good! So what will it be?" Westin questioned enthusiastically.

"This'll be a large order but I need to know what you have first." Jinx stated, arms crossed. Ratchet and Alex stood behind him, both hunched.

Westin nodded simply. "On me I have a large assortment of weapons. Here is a manifest of what I have on me. I have other items elsewhere if you're looking for something deadlier." He explained while handing over a piece of paper that held on it a long list of the assorted weaponry the caravan leader was speaking of.

Jinx stared at it, eyes scanning through the list. A lot of pistols and revolvers. Some baseball bats and knives. He paused at several items. "Alright, I'll need the two rocket launchers you have and twenty rockets for them." Westin nodded and took out a small scrap piece of paper and pencil, writing it down as Jinx continued down the list. "Four 10m millimeter pistols. Four .32 caliber revolvers. Three hunting rifles, all .308 caliber preferably. As many of your assault rifles that camber 5.56 millimeter rounds. I'll need five ammo boxes filled with both 10 millimeter and .32 caliber bullets, four full ammo boxes for the hunting rifles and eight full ammo boxes for the assault rifles." He finished his order.

Westin's eyes went wide. "That's one of the largest orders I've had in awhile. I can get you the pistols, revolvers and ammo for them today. The hunting rifles I have too, alongside the ammo. The assault rifles, however, will take me a while to gather up depending on what types you want. I have several stashes throughout the wasteland. I'd need an exact number of them to know for sure whether or not I have enough on my Brahmins. The two rocket launchers I have, along with ten rockets." He explained.

"I can work with just five assault rifles. I don't care what type. M16s, AK47s, the newer R91s, don't care." Jinx stated with his arms crossed. Ratchet and Alex stood on either side of him, ready to do the heavy lifting.

Westin nodded, made a list on the notepad, handed it to his guards and ordered the two to begin unloading the weaponry. "That's a mighty big order. May I ask what three people are going to do with sixteen of the deadliest weapons in the wasteland?" Westin questioned, readjusting his top-hat.

Jinx shrugged. "I've got a plan. And trust me, it's not for any raider business. Just call us well armed entrepreneurs and leave it at that for now." The mercenary explained, careful as to not expose any details.

"I understand a mercenary's need for secrecy and as long as you can pay for this hefty order, I don't mind not knowing. Now the two rocket launchers with the rockets will be expensive. I'm thinking three hundred for both of the launchers and thirty caps for each missile. Nine hundred caps right there. Pistols sell for twenty caps you ordered four, eighty. Four revolvers will be forty caps. Three hunting rifles will run you up a hundred and fifty more. Five assault rifles will add a hefty five hundred caps. With the boxes of ammo, I'll give you a bulk discount. One hundred caps per box. Three boxes full of 10mm and two with .32 will be five hundred. Four boxes of rifle rounds thrown in with eight ammo boxes for the assault rifles will be twelve hundred. Costs will be... three thousand three hundred and seventy caps even. " Westin stated, holding his hand out.

Jinx pulled out Henry's bag and slowly started counting them out. Henry had separated them by smaller hundred cap bags and made it easy for them. He pulled out thirty small bags, effectively draining their cap supply and tossed them over to Harith. By his count, they had left three cap bags that had a hundred caps in each of them. Three hundred caps.

Westin whistled as he caught the bag. "Impressive. Where'd you get the caps for this?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"Many named Henry. Was keeping him safe. Well, trying to. Got taken out by raiders. He apparently had had a pretty long run up north. Had his caps on him so I took them, and his kid, in for me and my own." Jinx explained.

Westin sighed. "Henry was a good man. I knew him for awhile. Used to run caravans with me when I first started out. Always dreamed of taking that run. Guess his luck finally caught up to him. You got a Brahmin to carry these weapons?"

Jinx nodded and turned around to whisper to Ratchet. "Go grab the cow, will ya?" He stated, more as an order than anything else. Ratchet nodded and jogged off, back towards town to the Brahmin pens.

Westin smiled as his guards set footlockers of weapons and ammo boxes filled to the brim on the ground in front of Jinx. "Good deal, friend." He exclaimed with a happy laugh. The man was still laughing when a bullet from a sniper hit his head and took him down.


	5. Chapter 5

_Vault 108_  
_Lee and Vic_

"Well what in the flyin' fuck we 'sposed to do now?" Victoria questioned, wiping the blood that had gotten onto her hands on her baggy pants. They had just finished piling up the homicidal, insane, former occupants of the vault in a pile outside of the vault entrance.

Lee bent down and rested for a few seconds, panting, before answering. "We do exactly what Jinx told us to fucking do girlie. Clean up and wait. I'll take these outside, away from here, and burn them." He explained simply while Vic looked on.

Vic chuckled. "Jus' take care of 'em all on your lonesome there, boy-o?" She asked, mimicking his accent in the last part of what she said.

The former bouncer nodded and flipped her off as he stood over the twelve bodies of identical men. "Exactly. I could let you deal with them and I'll go do the house cleaning if you wanted. Ya' know tidy up and such." Lee stated, starting to walk back through the open vault door.

Vic shook her head. "Nuh-uh, fuck that. Have fun, Mr. Lee." She stated, walking back into the poorly lit vault.

Lee smiled, getting a nice view of her backside as she sauntered into the steel bunker, waving her shapely hips side-to-side. He whistled appreciatively before grabbing the first body on the top of the pile. The bouncer was loving this job already and he had barely been on for a full day. Now that he thought about it, it hadn't been a full day. There was still another hour of light left. Sure felt like a full day though.

_Canterbury Commons_  
_Jinx, Ratchet and Alex_

"Fuck! Sniper!" Jinx shouted, diving onto the dusty ground behind a larger rock. The two caravan guards who had been hired by Westin succumbed to the sniper and his or her deadly accuracy. Alex sat next to him behind the rock. He pulled the clip out of his father's AK47, checked to make sure it was full and reloaded and chambered the first round. "Go when I say." The usually silent seventeen year old ordered sternly. Jinx wasn't about to argue with him. Instead, he pulled out his revolver and readied himself to dash towards the two dead pack Brahmins. He needed to get a better weapon and a better shot on the unknown assailant. "Now!" Alex shouted, standing up and firing his assault weapon towards several different spots where the rifleman could be hiding.

Jinx stood up and sprinted while Alex covered. He fired his revolver several times during the sprint, attempting to help suppress. Didn't work as well as he would have liked it to but he made it to the two dead Brahmins and three caravaners. Alex dived back into cover as another sniper shot hit the rock he was hiding behind, effectively pinning the newest addition to Jinx's group of misfits. Jinx grabbed one of the dead guard's dropped rifles, a bolt action with a scope, and took aim, using the dead Brahmin's back to help steady him. He motioned towards Alex to come to him to see if he could see the scope and Alex nodded.

Jinx stared through the scope and waited for the flash. Alex sprinted towards him and the shot rang out followed by two more. He had hit his target. He felt it. Alex skidded to a stop next to him, panting deeply. The handkerchief he usually had wrapped around his neck to hide his scars had fallen off. Jinx smiled and stood up, rifle still held at the ready. "I think I go-" Another shot zipped through the air and hit the side of Jinx's chest. He could taste blood in his mouth before he even hit the ground.

Alex stood and fired round-after-round towards the source of the shots, stopping only after he heard a loud, painful shout from his target. He threw his assault rifle aside and grabbed Jinx by his shoulders. Jinx had blood spurting from his mouth and the wound in his side. It looked to have pierced his left lung and exited through his back. Alex threw him over his shoulders and ran back into town, searching for Ratchet. If he didn't get him help, he'd drown in his own blood. Alex turned his head back and forth and saw someone approaching the town from the west. He sprinted towards whoever it was, Jinx coughing up blood on Alex's back along the way.

The waster saw them and sprinted towards them motioning for Alex to lay him down on the road in front of him. "You're lucky I am who I am." The raspy voiced female stated, tearing the scarf off of her face. A few flakes fell off with it. Under the scarf was a long-time ghoulified girl who wore a set of bloodstained fatigues and had a bag full of medical utensils within. She pulled her supplies out and pushed Jinx up onto his right side. "Go get help, kid." She ordered raspily, never looking up from the wounded man who laid out in front of her.

The seventeen year old nodded and sprinted back into town searching for Ratchet. Ratchet found him. "Kid, I heard shots did the deal go south?" He questioned before a look of worry came over his face. He spotted the blood in different spots on Alex's clothes. "Lets go." He stated, knowing what he would have told him. He ran with Alex, following him towards where Jinx was.

By the time the two got back, the doctor had already drained Jinx's lung of fluid and was now working on trying to seal the wound. Alex watched on in amazement. He had been gone no longer than three minutes and she had already done so much. "It'd be best if he had antibiotics but this will work." The ghoul doctor muttered to herself as she injected a stimpak into the skin right below the bullet hole. "I need one of you to go get Roe while I work on cleaning the wound." She stated with a wave of her hand.

"On it." Alex said simply before running off towards the town.

"What's your name?" Ratchet questioned while Alex ran to get Roe.

"Doc Casner, at your friend's disposal. Now give me a strip of your shirt or something, smoothskin."


End file.
